Friday, August 29, 2008

Wow...today is a big day. K says that she is still 2, but I clearly remember that she was born three years ago today. Seven pounds, two ounces...only 18 3/4 inches long. And we were so in love. We are still so in love. What many people do not know is that we were pregnant with a sweet baby girl (to be named Olivia) before we were pregnant with K. So, having another chance for a girl was such a blessing. And we always joke with some seriousness, that K has so much personality that she must be both babies wrapped into one. She is such a delightful, yet sassy young lady. And I have never seen her daddy's eyes light up the way they do when she wants to play princess with him...and please know that her daddy can play quite the princess.
C-man was a little apprehensive about attending a princess party. I understand. But, upon the guests arrival, he and his buddies became knights and helped to build castles made of blocks for the princesses. I think they enjoyed their time at the party despite being surrounded in pink tulle and tiaras.
K received some really fun things including a super cool dress up trunk with fun things in it, a huge pig princess (that K swears is a bear to this day), a princess carriage that can carry princess people or star wars characters (we believe in diversity at this house...haha), a baby doll that talks, my little pony things, and playdough (that she has spent almost an hour everyday playing with).
I think K's birthday party was a success. One of my hopes for our children is that they will be able to look back on their birthdays and remember how we celebrated their life every year. I hope they will remember a few special things that we prepared to help make their day just right. K had our best friends from the old hometown, our new friends from the new hometown, most of her grandparents, and all of our personal circus here to celebrate with her.
At the end of the day, all I can do is look at her sweet (and gorgeous face) and know that she truly is a princess in my eyes and God's eyes. And there has not been one moment that I have not been thankful for the gift that God gave me when he gave me K three years ago.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Well, the first day of kindergarten was a success. And, my heart was so happy to hear C say, "Mommy...I had the funnest day!" Sweet boy. I am so glad that he had a great time. Several people stopped me on my way in to pick C up and told me what a wonderful day it looked like he had. My friend Becky called me at lunch to say that she had checked on my man and he had given her the good news that kindergarten was great. C told me this afternoon when we got home, "Mommy, I just gotta tell ya...Ms. M is the nicest girl I ever knew." Can anyone say possible crush? Haha.

I enjoyed my day with the girls. We were recovering (and helping the house recover) from a very princessey weekend. It was so nice to spend time with them and feel like my job was to love and nurture them all morning. (Another pic of the little man...already hard at work).

Just a little update on K-Bel. We are still keeping the food journal that we will turn in to the feeding therapist on Thursday. She is not really eating great, but I don't think she is doing terrible. She is certainly eating better than she eats when her feeding tube is in.

I will post a princess party blog entry soon. I need to go through all of the pictures and decide what to share. It was definitely a success in K's eyes. I really believe that she enjoyed her special day. Until then, enjoy your week!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Is my princess really having her 3rd birthday party this weekend? This can't be true. We prayed and prayed for this baby and that she would be healthy. And now...she is here and she is healthy and boy is she sassy. There is nothing more fitting for her than a princess party because as she told someone a few weeks ago, 'I have to have a princess party because....I am a princess.' I love you K and I am so happy for you that you are God's little princess.

Did my biggest little man really have 'meet the teacher' night for Kindergarten tonight? This really can't be because he was just born last night. I have told many people that I might have to go to a therapy session after dropping him off. C is pretty concerned about this thing called Kindergarten. He went so far as to tell the principal of his new elementary school that he did NOT want to go to school and he would PREFER (haha) to stay at home with his mommy. Tonight, he finally said to me as we were driving to the school to meet his teacher, 'Mommy, I am trying to be excited, but I am way too nervous.' Sweet boy...I was proud of him for telling me how he was feeling.
K-Bel broke 18 pounds this week at her checkup. Everyone was very happy with her weight gain even though it was not as substantial as last month. The expectation as a baby gets older is not as high as far as growth, so that is nice for us. K-Bel has a fairly new little issue though. We have noticed (we being my mom while she was here, hubs' mom while she was here, friends, and us of course) that K-Bel is not really eating anymore. And she is certainly not drinking her bottles. At first, we figured it was because her belly was full from her tube feedings. But, things have become worse over the course of the past month or so. Some days, she does not take a sip of liquid at all. Soooo....the little pickle got a surprise. Our doctors and feeding therapist decided to give her a little break from her tube and see if her oral food and liquid intake increases. The break is one week long, so we will see how that goes.

F....sweet F. She traveled with me to K-Bel's appointment this week. We persevered, but not very gracefully. I expected too much of her by being gone from home for 12 hours. And I expected too much of myself by taking her away from home for 12 hours. I was talking with my friend Becky and there is something special about F. She truly has no idea that she is any different than anyone else around her. She is such a happy and carefree child (aside from our moments that are sometimes hefty moments). F really just thinks that she is it and that is fine with me. Anyway....ya'll have a great weekend. We will be footballin', partyin', and prayin that mommy and C can make it through the Kindergarten dropoff...ha.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Friday, August 15, 2008

C has a very sweet heart. Here is a conversation that I just had with him...

C: 'One of my feet feels taller.'

Me: 'Oh yea...is that a good thing?'

C: 'Well, for me it is.'

Me: 'How's that buddy?'

C: 'Because that means that I am growing up to be a daddy.'

As I type that WORD FOR WORD conversation that I enjoyed with my son, my heart is amazed. In the last six months, I have begun to realize how incredible he truly is. I am a biased mom, but I can't help it. He is so mature, and even though he makes many 5 year old decisions, he is wise beyond his years. C is truly a great kid and I am one lucky mom.

C, someday, you are going to be an amazing daddy. And the truth is son, that if you are even a fraction of the daddy that your daddy is, you will be incredible. And more than that, it really warms my heart to know that you are already focused on things like family...that is amazing. We love you and God is doing wonderful things with your heart. We always tell you that we are going to put a brick on your head because you are getting to big, but in all honesty, I can't wait to see what God has in store for you.

Last week, we had several evenings of summer rain. It was great and we really needed it. K told me that she wished she could play in the rain, so off we went. She had so much fun and I was able to do one of my very favorite things...take pictures. She was soaked by the time we were finished, but it was well worth it.

On Friday, our old babysitter (and very close friend) came to play with us and hang out for a while. She spent the night...we did fun small town things like eat chocolate pie, go to a football scrimmage, and pull through the Sonic drive in for a slush. We had a great time...she is a very important part of our lives and our kids love her so much.

Still no nanny...are you wondering how I am going to work? Me too...let me know if you have any ideas. The girls are just so sweet...who wouldn't want to spend every waking moment with them. I know I do.

Grammy has been here all week....we have thoroughly enjoyed her, but she might be ready for some down time. After all, it is a bit of a circus around here.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Football's here. Tomorrow starts two a days. The start of the big season of the year: not fall, but football. To kick off the season, some booster club members had the coaches over for swimming, fishing, and burgers. We had a great time. The kids had a blast....I think C was probably in the pool for three hours. When he wasn't in the pool, he was fishing in the pond, where he caught atleast 12 fish. He was having a blast. The girls had fun swimming with daddy (except K-bel because of her tube...in fact in the pic below, you can see someone feeding her through her tube...oops). C and K finished up swim lessons this week, so K was really swimming like a big girl. We were really proud of her. They are so silly...

Hubs is getting ready for the season. I have seen him draw atleast 60 cards of some sort...something about defensive plays (ha...my football knowledge is lacking). The time that coaches put into the game is incredible and he is no exception. He spends more time with someone else's kids than he does with his own during football season. And the neatest thing about it is that he makes an impact. He is a great coach with an amazing head for the game and heart for the kids. We love you Hubs!!

While we were at the coach's party a few nights ago, two of the coaches decided to have some sort of a diving contest. They are a lot of fun to be around and that night they provided some good entertainment.

I have one more week until I go back to work. I am a little nervous and I will definitely be very sad to leave my kiddos. We have found a nanny that we are very excited about having in our home while I am at work. I plan to work half time this year...we will see how that works out. So, this week will be jam packed with finishing up that darn red kitchen and painting the entry way area. Then...tackling all of the little jobs that I saved for later :( !! I am thankful for all that I have gotten done, but I think we still have a long way to go. Here is a sneak peak of something cool in C and K's room (the safari)...it is incredible and we have Papa to thank for that.